Omaha daily bee., 1887-02-16

intelligent lady member of the g..
STATE BOARD OF CHARITIES -.
of New York, regarding this law and its
operations, says;
"Since the passage of this law, and ap.
parently as consequence of its pro.
vision, not only has the number of de.
pendent children increased in a ratio out
of proportion to the increase of the popu.
lation but the scctarian institutions of the
city of New York have likewise increased
III a remarkable tegree.'
This and other facts regarding the New
York experience is from her address be.
fore the state convention of superntcnd.
ents of the poor, held in jamestown, New
York, last fall. AT this convention Super
lntendent McGonegal, of Rochester, in
his remarks said: "Ihore should be no
sectarian institutions in the state, sup.
ported by the public. The laws of 1873
and 1884 making it obligatory to commit
children to institutions which are con-
trolled by persons of tho same religious
! faith as the parents of the child, should
be repealed. They have moro than
doubled the number of children to be
supported by the county"
These were the general sentiments OK
the convention. The following statistics
more than prove the correctness of these
speakers. In 1875 there were S,04i chill
dren on Randalls island and in private
institutions, costing the city that year
500, 237. The new law took effect Jan
uary 1, 1876. Eight years after in 1884,
private institutions 13,76i children, cost
ing Tie city that year 81, 1868 The inn
mediate effect of the law was
to largely increase the number
In private institutions and to eX-
tend the time of detention for the in.
mates paid for by the county. 1t was for
the interest of the private charity to Sc
fhngp w hn
county paid. There was no haste to dis
charge or place in n family home any of
these children. Non.paying inmates
were readily converted into those for
whom the public paid. The admissions
and detentlons were entirely In the dis
cretion of the officers of these private in
stitutionS and there were serious abuses
by them of this trust. If the children
were improperly admitted or improperly
obtained the county paying the. expenses
could not object with effect. In Brook.
lyn the rate of increase after the passage
follows: In 1875 there were 800
children in the aims house.
These were transferred to private institu-
tons: In 1876, go; 1877, S74; 1873, ,169;
1879, 1,4O4; 1880, 1,479. Then the law, so
far as it related to that city, was amended
by. which the county commissions greatly
reduced the admissions. This was the
way taxpayers were affected. But the
result of this system was even worse on
the children. BY this law they were
and are detained long in pent
up public institutions constructed
ana operated on the congregate plan-in
one large pulialng, WIN hundreds OF
oinersLwlli no ianlliy ne. IN suGn
place chrome paupers are maae OF little
children just as surely as they are made
by country poor house influences. Many
other facts might be given regarding the
New ork experience showing the great
expense 10 the pubic, the increase,
nulI!uihg up anu prosperity OF sectarian
insl'luliohs unaer Iils law ana the great
ureh VINO ouSnt 10 nave Deeh piaced IN
go,11u g,1t lai,i1is MONIES. :. ,
Inc oaiilorhia experience is remarka-
oie' especlaily lor western state, Where
we nave rlSht 10 expect progressive
loeas. Inc population OF that state Is
only ABOUT one nan tiiiI oi MichiSan
"hich t2-day mas only ABOUT soo depend,
eht chiidren IN lts state puDllc Scnooi,a ana
cares for all the dependent chiuTcn OF
the state OF SOUND body ana minu. nave
at hand only the Calilorhla Statisucs OF
1888 ana 1854: lhcre were 1nch IN prl-
Inc state mas no Will IN INC lllanaSeaaienG
OF thesc asJiulis I1r ihese l"o nscul
years there was paiu Dy inc state t,,o 10 M tnese
Sec.arlth ciitrllles tlc sun VI FNtoo, ,oo2'o4,
ana hot one ceht was paiu , 70 put tneso
chiIdren III MONIES. Inc ieslsla-
ceedlng the above consiaerateiy
exceeded r TINS enormous sum 1or inns
object. The money was divided among
twenty-one asylums and the highest
amount paid to any one was SI3, ,42413.
This all looks like lack of statesman
ship in the golden state. But the secret
of the continuance is right here. In
California there are twenty.one sectarian
institutions, interested vilally III keeping
up this system. In New York there are
over one hundred and fifty. All of these
furnish a powerful influence on the lcgls-
lature, preventing repeal. Were this
system adopted IN Illinois, would not the
same influence soon appear in Spring
field? Now only few words, whore
there might be many, regarding the
Michigan system. 1t was established in
1871 and the school was opened in 1874.
1t has received about two thousand two
hundred dependent children out of
population now of about two million.
Most of thpSn orc now in GOOD hnmaS in